Who has more power: the Queen Bee or the Hive?

Sometimes power is concentrated in one place. Other times it is spread out.

Two Animals Switch Biomes

What if a capybara and a kangaroo rat switched homes? Would their adaptations be helpful at all?

Not Like The Others: Cephalopods

Four cephalopods. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Not Like The Others: Flowers

Four flowers. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Not Like The Others: 20th Century Presidents – Group A

Four 20th century presidents. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

New Uses For A Cardboard Tube

So, what can a cardboard tube be used for other than holding wrapping paper?

Create A Civ: Capital City

Every great capital is part geography, part human design. Research real ones, then build your own from scratch.

Categorize and Re-Categorize Countries

Put these countries into groups. Then do it again. Then… do it one more time. How does re-re-grouping the same places reveal new patterns and give new insights?

Categorize and Re-Categorize Animals

Put these animals into groups. Then do it again. Then… do it one more time. How does re-re-grouping the same creatures reveal new patterns and give new insights?

Not Like The Others: US National Parks

Four US national parks. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Famous Structures

The Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House — group them, pick the best from each group, then design your own.

Notice, Wonder: SLS Test

A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!

Not Like The Others: Birds of the Desert

Four desert birds. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Not Like The Others: Penguins

Four penguins. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Not Like The Others: Microorganisms

Four microorganisms. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Tournament: 8 Wonders of the Solar System

Which location is the most wondrous place in the solar system?

Not Like The Others: Ants of the World!

Four ants from around the world. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Tournament of Ancient Inventions

Which of these inventions of the ancient world is most influential? Least useful today? Most taken-for-granted?

Animal Adaptation Tournament

Which animal has the most interesting, most valuable, or strangest adaptations?

Habitable Planets and Moons Tournament

Which object in the solar system is most habitable?

Not Like The Others: Types of Volcanoes

Which of these types of volcanoes is not like the others?

Not Like The Others: Types of Rocks

Igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic — and one that doesn’t fit. But which one? Depends on your argument.

Not Like The Others: Birds of the Tropical Rainforest

Which of these four birds is not like the others?

Create A Civilization: Currency

What type of currency will your civilization use? What symbols will be on it? Why are they significant?

Create A Civilization: Design A Flag

What makes for a good flag? What makes a bad flag?

Impostor Syndrome

How high-performing students can often feel like they aren’t really that great.

Not Like The Others: Creatures of the Tundra

Four tundra creatures. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

The Tournament of Biomes

Want to move beyond memorizing the characteristics of biomes? In this lesson, students work through a Tournament of Biomes, explaining which biome wins in each round (based on criteria you choose). In the end, they crown a 👑 Champion Biome!

Upgrade Research Questions With Depth and Complexity

Ever ask students to create research questions? Were their ideas a bit… blah? My own students had a very hard time writing questions they didn’t already know the answer to! This video is how I solved that problem: upgrade research questions with depth and complexity.

The Resiliency Tournament

Your students will set up a tournament to determine which person or character best demonstrated resiliency.

Developing Extension Questions: Panning

Your textbook covers a topic in one paragraph. But what’s next door? Pan the camera and you’ve got a question worth exploring for weeks.

Using Creativity Tools To Develop A Learning Exploration: Step Three

How do you turn “go research something” into a structured, creative learning exploration? Kathryn Haydon walks through it step by step.

Using Creativity Tools To Develop A Learning Exploration: Step Two

How do you turn “go research something” into a structured, creative learning exploration? Kathryn Haydon walks through it step by step.

Using Creativity Tools To Develop A Learning Exploration: Step One

How do you turn “go research something” into a structured, creative learning exploration? Kathryn Haydon walks through it step by step.

Create A Civilization Introduction

Your students build a civilization from scratch — rivers, flags, calendars, currency, government. Social studies, science, and writing woven into one year-long project.

Creating A Realistic Flower and Pollinator

Your students will create a new flower, designed to attract a specific pollinator.

Building Brush Bots and Art Bots

What if we turned a tooth brush into a robot… that could do art?

Engineering: Build A Bridge

Using real bridges as their starting point, students will construct bridges out of straws and paperclips.